New Brother for Kevin

*photo courtesy of Dennis

Kevin grew up with two older sisters. I'm 11 years older than him and Kristen is 9 years older. He was the little prince and always got whatever he wanted. I'm sure he always wanted an older brother and now he has two! Theo and now Chris!
He has two men to look up to now.
What a lucky guy!

Newport Beach Film Festival!

Theo found out today that Rope got into the
Newport Beach Film Festival!

It's a fancy-schmancy film festival. Crash, The Illusionist, Waitress, King of Kong, Born into Brothels and Sexy Beast all had their US premiere there. This is so exciting!
Hooray for Theo! Getting closer and closer to that Oscar! :)

italian girlie 1

italian girlie 1 illustration

I did this illustration back in 2005.
I'm not good at illustrator or photoshop, yet. I know the basics but I have some work to do and Theo's my very own patient instructor. Until then, I'll post my other illustrations I've done in the past. I love to see pencil lines and strokes of the human touch. I'm trying to get over my whole "perfectionism" thing and just enjoy the little imperfect details that make life so beautiful and in the end, so perfect.
Maybe I'll do a portrait of Kris on her wedding day! :)

Swan Lake at the Hotel Bel-Air... more Valentine's Day wedding details.

Swan Lake at the Hotel Bel-Air*pic taken by Chris

I love this picture and I needed a Swan Lake pic for my Valentine's Day wedding post. But I didn't have one until now. This picture was taken by Chris, my new brother-in-law, back in late August when we went to the hotel for a vendors meeting. The wedding took place right next to the lake and the swans were out and frolicking in the water during the ceremony. Magical.

Beading of the Heart... details from the valentine's day wedding continued

Here's a close up of the heart that I spent days beading. With every stitch I put in a prayer of hope and love for my sister and Chris to spend the rest of their lives together in perfect harmony. I also put in a prayer for a beautiful sunny day! The weather leading up to the wedding day was wet and cold. It was raining cats and dogs the day before the wedding! But right before the rehearsal, the sky cleared up and the sun rays cut through the puffy white clouds. And because of our collective prayers and meditation, the sky was bright blue for the their wedding day!

The money box. Details from the wedding one by one....

I'm quite proud of this money box. Kris and I bought the sturdiest box from The Container Store and they had the most perfect textured wrapping paper, so we ended up buying both there. Thank goodness LeighAnn was there to help. She made one before so she gave me the best tip ever - "just wrap it like a gift!" No one can get into the box unless you destroy it. Good for security purposes but bad for me. How am I supposed to finish the inside of the slit? I was so bothered by the tape and the unfinished paper edges showing that I tossed and turned at night knowing that the box cannot be used until I found a solution for the messiness. Double click on the picture and you'll know what I'm talking about.

The "unfinished" box.

The side view of the box.

And it hit me in the morning! I had the most perfect solution. I was going to super glue the lace that we bought from Tinsel Trading to finish the edges. *(See post from Jan. 26th for the full picture of the lace)* That didn't work out as the lace was too fine and instead I ended up with super glue residue that hardened the skin of my thumb and index fingers. Yet I knew I was close to finding a solution! And the creative forces hit and this is the part I'm most proud of - I used pins to secure the lace around the edges. It was clean and fast! If you double click on the picture, you can see the pins ever so slightly. Yes, it's quite brilliant. I can make money boxes for all my friend's weddings!

The finished box!I think all money boxes should be subtle and elegant.  The slit edges should be finished with fine metallic lace if caught in the same predicament as me. It's easy and so beautiful....

Valentine's Day Wedding at the Hotel Bel-Air

My little sister, Kris married her soulmate, Chris! Their Valentine's Day wedding was the most elegant and beautiful wedding. I'm going to work on the slide show, until then here's a preview of the most romantic day of the year at the Hotel Bel Air....

The double heart flag courtesy of The Hotel Bel Air because a wedding is about to take place!
*picture taken by Chris' friend James

It's a beautiful day in Los Angeles. Check out the clear sky!

*picture taken by Chris' friend Ryota.

Before the ceremony...guests were served hot tea and were offered pashmina shawls to keep warm from the crisp California night air.

Here's Theo taking pictures of mom and dad-in-law.
He looks so handsome in a suit and tie!

Magical Swan Lake
*picture taken by Chris
This picture is a late add to this post but I needed to because it tells the story so much better! The ceremony took place right next to the lake. At one point, the swans were right next to where the ceremony was taking place and were causing a little ruckus. I think they were quite happy and were trying to congratulate Kris and Chris!

I love everything about the gazebo, the asymmetrical arrangement of the roses to the votive candles hanging from the chandelier to the branches on each side of the candle table, and yes of course the beading on the runner. I worked on the beading for days! I'll post a better picture of the heart beading. K&C wedding was all about the art deco heart branding!

Kudos to Yvonne at Empty Vase Los Angeles for the most amazing flower arrangements and bouquets! All the details surpassed our expectations.

Mom and Chris's mom after lighting the candles. Don't they look beautiful in their hanboks?

The groom and groomsmen waiting...
From L-R: Chris (groom), Dennis (best man, younger brother and Kristen's new brother-in-law), Paul, James, Steve, Ryota and Kevin (our little baby brother. not so little and doesn't like being called a baby)

Ah! We see the bride! And I love the lush greenery behind us. The whole setting was about the lushness of the greens. It was like a secret garden in K&C's dream. This was truly my sister's dream wedding come true. From L-R: Candace is Kris's new sister-in-law, Cristina is a friend from high school, Veronica is a friend from college, Christine is a friend from elementary school, Josephine is also a friend from elementary school and then me, the older sister and matron of honor.

Here comes the beautiful bride with our proud dad...

She looks beautiful in her dream wedding gown! *(See post from Jan. 27th to see a picture of the dress that inspired Kristen's dream wedding gown). My mom and I placed the Dulken and Derrick flowers on Kris and mom sewed the flowers onto a strip of left over fabric from the alteration. I hand finished the strip of fabric and mom lovingly and carefully sewed all the flowers together. Our team effort paid off!

The heartfelt and emotional ceremony was the perfect amount of time! Matthew is Chris's childhood friend and pastor.

K&C's closest friends and family (117 adult guests plus 2 babies) were invited to the intimate ceremony.

We were all weeping as they exchanged vows.

Thanking the parents was moving and filled with happy tears.

And lots of smiles too!

It was the most beautiful ceremony...
*pic courtesy of Kris' friend Karin

Congratulations Kris and Chris!
Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Chung!

The perfect Valentine's Day romantic table setting
*picture by Chris' friend Ryota.

Their first dance as a married couple as they show us their beautiful smiles. Check out the dress from behind! The dress is so dramatic even when bustled and look at the cascading flowers from the back as she's about to be twirled by Chris.

Everyone danced that night! Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts included! It was the first time I saw my mom dance!

Red Velvet cake cutting. Yummy.

Chris's grandparents received the big Valentine's Day heart.

I loved the warmth of candle lights and the special golden lighting with pink highlights throughout the garden room.
*picture taken by Chris' friend James

Kris with her friends from elementary and junior high school years.
They look like they're still in junior high! :)
*pic courtesy of Kris' friend Karin

Lots of wine and champagne throughout the night...
*picture taken by Chris' friend James

The bridesmaids with babies saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Chung.

Bridesmaids and friend with the gorgeous bride before we moved into the pavilion room for more drinks and of course the candy bar! Some lucky guests took home the center piece as they were being dismantled from their original state. Theo and I took home 2 centerpieces and our home was filled with fresh flowers for a whole week!

The candy station before the surge...
*picture taken by Chris' friend James

What's left of the candy station and still not close to the end of the night when pic was taken.
*picture taken by Theo

Here's the proof! They're married! Hotel Bel-Air marriage certificate.
*pic courtesy of Kris' friend Karin

It was a night filled with love, laughter, dancing, delicious food, friends and family! The most romantic night of the year spent at the Hotel Bel-Air. I must also mention that the service was impeccable at the hotel. Jenny Ha is the executive director of catering or as my sister refers to her as "my fairy godmother that made my dream wedding come true." And I absolutely agree! She took care of everything! The night was seamless and it's because of the wonderful Hotel Bel-Air team. What a magical night.

**these photos taken by Chris's cousins and Theo**